This invention relates to masonry walls used in the construction of buildings, and more specifically to the masonry cavity wall type of masonry wall construction.
In masonry cavity wall construction a wall is typically constructed having two separate wythes with an intermediate space therebetween. Generally, the inner wythe is formed of concrete blocks and typically forms the structural, load-bearing component of the building wall structure. The outer face side of the inner wythe is provided with an insulation layer, commonly rigid foam panels or insulation board. A second, exterior or rain screen wythe is constructed a spaced distance outwardly of the insulation layer, the exterior wythe typically being a non-load bearing wall made of brick, stone or other masonry material. The open space left between the insulation and the exterior wythe provides a continuous, open cavity or air space within the wall structure which allows for condensation and drainage of moisture from the interior confines of the wall resulting from the wicking of moisture through the masonry material of the exterior, decorative rain screen wall, an aspect which is inherent in the use of masonry materials.
The resulting wall structure has been found to be desirable because it is a structurally sound building wall construction that provides good insulating values and affords an aesthetically desirable appearance that may be selected for both the interior finish of the wall as well as the exterior, rain screen, veneer wall material and finish. However, over time, more stringent building codes and requirements have been applied in the construction of buildings with regard to factors including the rebar reinforcement of the load-bearing inner wythe component of the walls-and insulation requirements, etc. In this regard, and as is well understood by those skilled in the masonry industry, these heightened rebar reinforcing requirements now frequently result in a very labor-intensive, time-consuming process of reinforcing the concrete blocks with rebar arrangements that ever-increasingly occupy the space provided by aligned openings through the blocks in vertically-adjacent courses of individual concrete blocks forming the interior wythe wall. The consequent expenses involved in the increased labor and time are unfortunately compelling the building industry to seek alternative wall constructions, to the detriment of the masonry trade and also at the sacrifice of aesthetic values.
In this regard, the building industry is turning to the use of cast-in-place reinforced concrete walls that are formed through use of complex and specialized, dedicated concrete form units that include insulation panels, which is erected by a form work trade and which, after fluid concrete is poured therein, become a permanent element of the building wall structure. In this manner insulated, reinforced cast-in-place structural walls are provided, after which yet another trade must be engaged to provide decorative, veneer finish walls both on the exterior side of the building wall as well as the interior side.